Chocolate Roses
by Jasper Annalise
Summary: Ginny is distraught after a tough breakup with Harry. She doesn't know it yet, but she finds ultimate solace in Blaise Zabini.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters or plots. I'm merely here to tell wonderful stories about certain borrowed characters.

Chocolate Roses

Chapter One: An Unexpected Meeting

Tears spilled from her bright blue eyes as she ran down an obscure hallway of her school. She had been dumped, unceremoniously, by the guy she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Perhaps he was just too good for her. Or maybe she just had the worst luck in the world. She was a Weasley, after all.

She had hoped he would change his mind before they left the school. She held onto that wish, still wanting the strong man's arms wrapped around her waist. She still hoped she would feel his soft lips on hers, caressing her mouth gently. But he had told her it was over, for 'noble reasons'. She knew he was going to get into a whole heap of trouble before the next school year began.

She couldn't see through her teary eyes any longer. But, instead of resting, she ran even harder, barely missing running into corners and suits of armor. She had just dodged a particularly pointy object when she ran into something very big and very human.

"Oh! I am so sorry, I didn't see you there," Ginny rushed out of her mouth toward the boy. She knew it had to be a man; he couldn't possibly be female with that body.

"What? Oh, it's you, Weasley. Watch where you're going." The voice was definitely masculine, but had an air of aristocratic superiority. She blinked many times to try and clear her eyes.

When she could see again, she noticed that the boy was very dark-skinned and had a decidedly aristocratic, up-turned nose. While his features might have looked out of place on anyone, the man looked like a statue of a god. Ginny stared wide-eyed up at him. She had never seen him this up-close before. With him being a Slytherin, Blaise Zabini didn't often spend his time close to Gryffindors.

Remembering herself and quickly glancing away, Ginny muttered a hurried, "Sorry," before leaving the boy's side. She could feel him staring at her as she walked down the hallway. It was unnerving, to say the least, to be stared at by someone you barely even recognize.

She continued her march away from him until she reached the corner and turned. She sighed as she felt his eyes leave her and she sunk to the floor. Why did he have this effect on her? She was supposed to still be grieving over her loss of Harry as a boyfriend, not already fawning over a new boy. Sometimes, she didn't even get herself.

Blaise stared after a clearly distressed Ginny Weasley. He vaguely wondered what bothered her so much, and then decided it was none of his business. Women were normally emotional for the most obscure reasons.

He had noticed the way her hips moved before now. He just hadn't had time to really look at the swaying of her skirt as she walked. She was a year younger, after all, and he didn't see her that often. But he could appreciate beauty even when it came to younger, muggle-loving, blood traitors like her.

His eyes left her swaying buttocks as she rounded the corner. He didn't know why, but he wouldn't mind watching her walk past him again. He supposed it was his animalistic instincts inside of him. What self-respecting man _would_ mind seeing Ginny Weasley walk past him?

Blaise shook himself out of his thoughts. He was supposed to be getting ready to leave this retched castle. He had been scheduled to meet with Draco Malfoy ten minutes from now. He sighed. He would never make it down to the dungeons in time. He set off in the correct direction in a fast, but not hurried, walk. Slytherins only ran if they absolutely needed to.

Ginny boarded the Hogwarts express the next morning. She already knew Harry hadn't changed his mind; it was plain in his guilty expression whenever he looked at her. She was only a little sad about that, though. Her mind had been filled with images of a certain dark, god-like Slytherin ever since she had bumped into him.

She talked to Harry, Hermione, and Ron as she usually did on the express, and went off to say goodbye to her fellow classmates. There weren't that many she was truly fond of, and it was always difficult to find the ones she actually liked. She peered into many compartments, first looking for Colin Creevey, then Luna Lovegood and Janice Rose (another Ravenclaw). She had no luck in finding Janice, but she had a nice long chat with Luna. An odd chat, it was, but nice all the same.

The sky was growing to dusk now. She stopped and looked out of an empty compartment's window. The grounds were bathed in orange and red, creating a fiery landscape for her to enjoy.

The door slid open behind her, startling her out of her gazing. She quickly turned around to see who had invaded her lonely room. It was Blaise, again. She wondered what cruel fate would make her repeatedly run into the older boy in two days.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this room was empty. I'll leave you to your gazing," Blaise said to her. He might have been a Slytherin, but he wasn't impolite or cruel like most of the others.

Ginny was tongue-tied. The dark-skinned man was standing in the light cast from the window. The orange light outside made his skin glow softly, giving him an even more god-like appearance. Her breath hitched in her throat as she took it all in.

"No… I don't mind. You can take it if you want. I was just passing through…" Ginny stumbled out of her mouth. It seemed to Blaise that his presence scared her. He couldn't fathom why; he was nicer than the other Slytherins. He noticed her smooth silhouette against the orange-bathed backdrop. The red-tinted landscape complemented her hair, making it seem wild and forbidden. She looked like an angel against a demonic sky, ready to deliver her peace upon the world.

He blinked, trying to clear his mind of her beauty. "That's alright, I'll leave. You don't have to."

"No, really, I have to get going!"

"It's okay! Stay here, I'll go." Both of their voices were frazzled as they moved toward the doorway at the same moment. Blaise had unconsciously stepped toward her as he was admiring her beauty, and now he regretted it. They both became tangled in each other's limbs as they tried to leave the room. Ginny tripped, brining Blaise down on top of her. Blaise, not wanting to crush the small girl, put his hands out in front of him and on opposite side of Ginny's head. They tumbled to the ground and wound up in a very compromising position. Blaise supported himself above her with his arms as his legs were sill entangled with hers. Ginny had wound her arms around his neck to try vainly to stay upright. Their faces were inches from each other's, both bathed in the orange sunlight. They both moved closer to each other, gazing into the other's lit eyes. Their lips brushed in the tiniest of kisses before they remembered themselves.

They quickly untangled their limbs and stood, Blaise holding the door for Ginny. Ginny practically ran out of the room, not even looking at her God as she passed him. Blaise, too, refrained from looking at the angelic girl that made his heart leap.

After Ginny's footsteps had died, Blaise relaxed. It didn't mean anything, surely. They were just caught up in the moment and _it_ had happened. 'It didn't mean a thing,' he told himself repeatedly. 'Not a thing.' For some reason, Blaise didn't believe a word he was saying.

Author's note: Thank you all for reading the first chapter of my newest fanfic!! I would really appreciate it if you reviewed, but I know half of you won't and another quarter of you won't even read this….


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait, guys!! My laptop crashed and I couldn't find any inspiration during the day time. Don't be too mad and enjoy!!

Chocolate Roses

Chapter 2: Summer Vacation

Ginny finally stepped off the scarlet engine on to the platform. She looked back at the train; she might not see it next year. She hugged a final goodbye to Hermione and waved to Harry, stepping through the barrier of Platform 9 ¾. Immediately seeing the bright hair of her family, she passed through the crowd toward them. Greeting them all with a smile, she started to answer their questions about school.

"Oh, you know, the usua…" She stopped in the middle of her sentence as she saw a tall, dark man pass behind her mother. Letting her gaze follow the back of his head, she didn't even notice that Ron had joined the party. His loud voice in her ear broke through her gazing, and she rejoined the conversation.

Blaise had followed Ginny all the way out of the platform. He had to see her before he left for the empty manor that his mother had recently vacated for vacation. Her red hair had swished with her hips, making her an easy beacon to follow.

He had passed her on his way out of the station. He felt her eyes on his back, following his every move, but he did not turn to look at her. Distancing himself from her was the best way to get over whatever he felt for her. She was a Weasley, after all.

Blaise Apparated home from an abandoned alley way near the station. What he found there was exactly what he expected to find. An empty house, cold and dreary, perfect to let him stew in his thoughts.

When Ginny finally returned home, she also found what she expected. A full house, brimming to the top with Weasleys making wedding preparations, was what she was instantly thrown into. However, the calm that the night brought didn't help her forget Blaise.

The kiss that they shared was an accident, they had agreed on it. It held no meaning, and neither had really wanted it. If that was true, however, then why did she keep remembering it?

Ginny was even more confused than she was before. Did she still love Harry, or was Blaise quickly taking the place Harry had always held in her heart? If it was the former, why was she still thinking of Blaise? If the latter, just why?

These thoughts spun around Ginny's mind each night before she succumbed to sleep. Her days passed quickly, and the nights before she slept always seemed like an eternity. She didn't understand why time had been completely switched around.

Blaise's days passed in complete solitude. His only company in the house was the small, skittish house elves, and they didn't bother with him much. All of his time was either spent thinking of the girl that had come into his heart or flying. It always cleared his mind when his feet were off the ground and he was close to killing himself.

He'd had some messages from 'friends', like Draco Malfoy telling him that he was completely trapped in his own house, in code of course. Other than those few and far-between letters, Blaise communicated with no one.

His mother fire-called to check up on him only once the entire summer. Her message was short and to-the-point: Don't get into trouble and stay healthy. Blaise was fine with her first request, for that was all it was, but the second he completely ignored. He was far from healthy at that time and he knew it.

When news of the crashed Weasley wedding reached Blaise's ears, he was frantic. Surely the Death Eaters would notice a pretty girl like Ginny and done something to her. He searched each newspaper until he was certain she and her pretty face were safe.

Ginny was certainly sad to see Harry and the others go, but she didn't dwell on it. The fantastic kiss she had given Harry was still as good as it had always been, but there was something else there as well. It was a nagging in her heart that reminded her of a tall, dark man.

When the Ministry was overthrown and the Death Eaters attacked the wedding party, Ginny watched Hermione grab her brother and Harry and Apparate away. She was thankful that they had gotten out of there before the Death Eaters figured out they were there.

For the rest of the summer, Ginny was practically under house arrest. If she even put a toe out of the Weasley yard, a dark man would appear in front of her and she would scurry back to the house. Needless to say, she didn't get out of the house much.

Ginny was almost thankful when September rolled in and she was forced to go back to Hogwarts. The only upside to this, though, was that she got to escape her watched house. However, it also meant that she was going to spend every day with known Death Eaters. She promised to herself that she would do everything in her power to make their lives hell.

Blaise's summer passed by quickly and uneventfully, in much the same fashion as the beginning of summer did. He was as thankful as Ginny when September came. Unlike her, though, he had no problem with Death Eaters being his teachers. He had, after all, been taught defense by the elder Malfoy as a child alongside Draco.

He Apparated to the station and walked pointedly to his destination of the platform. Muggles scurried away from him before they were trampled in his hurried path. Needless to say, he was getting quite a few strange and angry looks.

He finally reached the platform and let out a sigh. There was just something about the scarlet engine that made it feel more comforting than his own house was. He looked around at the familiar faces and almost smiled. Then he caught himself and tried to look as intimidating as possible. He caught a glimpse of the trademark Weasley red swishing past him. He took a double take and, sure enough, Ginny was hurrying onto the train in front of him. He smiled inwardly and followed her onto the engine.

Author's Note: Please review!! I loved all of the review I received on the last chapter and I want them to keep coming!! Everyone who even reads this deserves a cookie!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Chocolate Roses

Chapter 3: Trains and Tears

Ginny had noticed Blaise at the station. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen, so she had tired to avoid him. As fate would have it, however, the milling bodies on the platform pushed against her and she ended up right next to him. She stared, wide-eyed, at him for a moment and then regained her composure. She rushed away from the dark-skinned man and ran toward the train. She could feel his eyes following her; hear his thudding footsteps in the panic of her mind. Her heart raced at a beat unnatural to men. Bodies of students got in her way, yelling obscenities as she knocked them over. She looked back at Blaise; he was faster than her and catching up. The students simply melted out of his way, giving him a clear path to her. It seemed as though he was walking, that it was useless for Ginny to run.

Finally she reached the scarlet engine. As luck would have it, her bags were already in a compartment. If only she could remember which compartment that was. She looked back out at the students on the platform. She saw no sign of the tall, dark man who was following her. She let out a sigh and her brain seemed to turn back on. She walked to her right, down the corridor of the train to her compartment.

Blaise saw how panicked she was when she turned to look at him. He continued to follow her, but ducked out of the way when she finally got on the train. He watched as she seemed to relax and turned right.

Blaise walked up the steps so he could watch her enter her room. She paused halfway down the hall to talk to someone and continued on for a couple doors before turning into her compartment. He followed slowly, trying to look completely natural.

Halfway down, a girl spoke to him. "Hello, you're Blaise Zabini, aren't you?"

He looked at her, her blonde hair and radish earrings framing her pale face. He raised an eyebrow at her blunt way of speaking. "Yes I am. And you are…?"

"Oh!" The girl's eyes were wide and seemed to look through him. "I'm Luna Lovegood. You're following my friend, Ginny Weasley." It wasn't a question, so he didn't answer her. He was intrigued with how she seemed to know everything about him.

"I think you like her very much. She seems to like you, too."

"Really?" Blaise interrupted her. He was suddenly very interested in what this Luna girl had to say. She nodded at him, her eyes seemingly popping out of her skull. Then the shocking blue grew grey and cloudy. Her mouth fell open and she stared through him. She swayed and he thought she would fall over. But then, just as suddenly, she turned back to as normal as before. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You need to act fast, Blaise Zabini, or her heart will remain with the one who has it now forever. She can not decide yet. Go to her." The compartment door closed on his face. Luna's words filled his mind as he stood there, staring at the glass that now shielded the young seer. He came to and walked down three doors, still thinking of the girl.

He knocked on the glass, not wanting to startle her by bursting in. Ginny opened the door, peering out at him. He smiled at her, trying to make it look like he wasn't about to attack her, and she opened the door the rest of the way.

"Hello, Blaise."

"Hello, Ginny."

Her eyes glittered in the lights of the train. He was transfixed with her obvious innocence, forgetting Luna's advice for a moment. Students jostled Blaise, sending him into Ginny's compartment. He flushed, his cheeks turning darker than they were before. Ginny blushed as well, though her embarrassment was much more noticeable.

"Erm, sorry about that. There were too many students in the hall." Blaise stood up again, making sure he wasn't touching Ginny.

"Yes, of course." She remained standing as well, though she did close the door to let them have a little privacy. They looked awkwardly at one another for a moment. Then the train gave a little jerk, starting on its course to Hogwarts, and they both fell over. Their laughter filled the room and seemed to lessen the tension between them. They chose seats across from each other and started talking about the holidays. Blaise was horrified at what had happened at Ginny's brother's wedding and at the fact that she wasn't allowed to leave the house.

"But surely you must have heard about it. You're friends with Draco Malfoy."

"I only heard from him a few times, and none of his letters were very long. He was trapped in his house all summer as well, apparently. He also said that the Dark Lord is staying with him. Of course, no one knows where Malfoy Manner is now. It's been put under the strongest Fidelius charm known to wizards. I can't even go and see him now."

"Wow. I'm surprised you told me so much. You know I'm connected to the order."

"Yeah, I know. I also know that they probably have already guessed all these things."

"Yes, I suppose so. They've been doing a lot now that the war is upon us."

"By the way, where are your friends? Aren't you normally riding with them?"

"Yes, but they all are in hiding now, aren't they? Barely any of them are Purebloods and most have gone into hiding. I'm afraid I won't see most of them ever again." Tears leaked from her eyes at the mention of her friends. Blaise moved over to her and put a comforting, though awkward, arm over her shoulder. They spent the rest of the ride in silence, simply enjoying each others' company.

The ride to Hogwarts wasn't exactly what Blaise had been expecting. For example, he hadn't dreamed she would have let him into her compartment. He didn't think they would be able to talk through most of the ride without their conflicting views getting in the way. And he definitely didn't expect to be comforting a crying Ginny as she worried about her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all of you who reviewed! You all deserve a cyber cookie!

Special thanks to:

gineveramalfoy1894 (THREE TIMES!), QueenBee11(twice!), Amanda(twice!), LCH8292, Miss Ginevra Zabini, Sarite.93, ladyofflowers, Ko'nix, Rhana-chan, Slythie fan forever, MysticKitty17, Fall-Child-08, Sordinmyhart, edwardluver925, gynnymalfoy13, Stars In Tokyo, and anyone else in case I forgot to add him or her.

Remember, Harry Potter and company don't belong to me. They belong to J. K. Rowling.

Chocolate Roses

Chapter Four:

During the feast, Ginny's eyes frequently sought out Blaise. She just as often met his gaze, and the chocolate pools created a fire inside her. Not quite the fire she got when Harry held her, but it grew with each encounter and would soon overpower the other.

She picked at her food, not wanting Blaise to see her eating like she normally did, like all in the Weasley family did. She took a few small bites here and there, and knew if she didn't eat more she would pay dearly for it later, but still couldn't bring herself to do it.

Snape stood up from the place that had formerly been Dumbledore's, successfully breaking Ginny out of her trance. She had once again been immersed in the eyes of the dark Slytherin boy. The hall quieted almost immediately, no one willing to get on the teachers' bad sides so early in the year.

Snape began to speak, but this start of term speech had a different air than any of Dumbledore's. "Students," he began, his voice dark and foreboding. "I welcome you to my school. I would like to introduce two of your new teachers, Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They will be teaching Defense against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies respectively." He smirked, giving away the fact that the new teachers would not, in fact, be teaching anything of the sort. "Please feel free to remove yourself from the grounds or to explore the dark forest at any time you wish. Good night."

All of the students quickly removed themselves from the hall, realizing the dismissal and not wanting to stay in any of the Death Eaters' proximities as they went off to bed. Ginny, like the rest of her classmates, scrambled from her seat and vacated the hall. In the mass of bodies pouring out of the door, she managed to bump into Blaise, who smirked and winked at her. Her heart pounded and she felt her face flush. She was soon separated from him, though, as the students around her pushed through.

She followed the rest of Gryffindor up to where the portrait of the fat lady would have been. Instead of finding the cheery, robust woman, though, she found a portrait of a seemingly bad tempered old man who formerly lived in the dark dungeons.

"Password?" His voice was nasally and was threaded with dislike. She sputtered out, "Dusty Gnomes," and was allowed to enter. Though the guard had changed, the tower had not. It was still filled with the many happy memories of the people who formerly sat in the cushioned chairs, but it was subdued. Not even half of those people remained in their midst's.

Blaise was deeply troubled. Ginny's covert glances at him during the feast had left him decidedly excited and the run-in with her afterward hadn't helped at all. She had looked so delightfully flustered when she bumped into him it had taken all his resolve to not snog her senseless right there.

As his thoughts of Ginny became erotic, Blaise had reached the stone wall that protected the Slytherin dorms. He quietly said the password and sidled in. Many witches were eyeing his body appreciatively, each hoping that she would be able to fill his be that night. He ignored them all and delicately sat next to Pansy on the worn couch. She had been the only witch in the room to not ogle him, as she was reading a magazine as she lounged. She barely glanced at him as he became comfortable.

"Hello, Zambini," she said with no inflection in her voice.

"Hello, Parkinson," he said just as plainly. She was one of his few friends at Hogwarts who wasn't there just for his money or status. Draco was his only other.

"I heard you had contact with Draco during the break?" He nodded, so she continued. "How is he doing? He can't be having much fun." She didn't say exactly what was on her mind. Like all other Slytherins, she had a hidden meaning to her every word. What she really meant was, 'Is he still alive? Are they hurting him?"

"He seems to be doing fine. He admitted to not having too much fun, but he said he's okay." What Blaise really meant was, 'Yes, he's alive. I don't know if he's hurt but if he is then he's not bad enough to not be able to write a letter.'

She nodded and resumed her perusal of the magazine. Why she needed beauty tips from _Witch Weekly_ he didn't know; she was pretty enough without spells. Maybe it was just a ruse to make herself seem stupid. Blaise wouldn't put it past her.

They only talked a little after that. They'd never had much to say to each other; they simply enjoyed each other's company. Anything they did say had a hidden meaning that only the other would get. No eaves dropping Slytherin would be able to decipher the messages.

It wasn't long before Blaise tired of the common room and retired to his chambers. He read one of the dark books his mother had leant him to read. It weighed about a ton and if left resting on his legs for too long made his feet numb. After that happened, he decided to officially retire for the night and slipped into his silk pajamas.

His mind continued to work, though. Long after he had heard the other boys come up, get changed, and drift off to sleep did he do so himself. It hadn't necessarily been a taxing day, but it had taken a bit out of him. Reassuring Ginny Weasley had been hard when he had wanted to jump her at every opportunity. Holding her had been worse. That train ride had tested every resolve he had made before coming to school. He wouldn't let himself get that close to her again.

Blaise didn't know it, but the Fates had a different idea.


End file.
